


let the sunshine in

by Aelig



Series: Bruce & Dick Week 2021 [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics)
Genre: Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Bruce is an angsty dad, Communication Is Difficult, Confession (kind of), Dick is a very tired son, Earth-197, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, bruce loves his children, fear toxin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:02:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28988223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aelig/pseuds/Aelig
Summary: "When Bruce woke up after a particularly hard hit by Scarecrow’s new brand, he was ready for anything. Being tied up to the medical cot, his children scattered everywhere on the Manor or in Gotham, Alfred being a silent vigil by his bed, or maybe even Leslie - he was even ready to see one of his children lying beside him, hit as well and resting from it.Somehow, his oldest son sitting on a chair near his bed was far from his first thought."OR: Bruce said some things under the influence of fear toxin, and Dick has some questions.
Relationships: Bruce Wayne & His Children, Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne
Series: Bruce & Dick Week 2021 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2126436
Comments: 8
Kudos: 215
Collections: BruDick Week 2021





	let the sunshine in

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you're all okay!!
> 
> This is the start of a new project, or as I call it, "Aelig doesn't know when to stop doing events" lmao. There's a Bruce & Dick week going on and I couldn't resist doing it!! Everything will be platonic btw. 
> 
> The prompt for this one was "You're the best thing that happened to me."! The title come from the song "I Found You" from the Lego Batman Movie!
> 
> Big thanks to [Marzue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marzue) for being my beta, you're wonderful :heart:

Fear toxin was the _worst_.

It destroyed your senses, buried you in illusions, and more times than not you couldn’t even remember what had been said or done under the toxin’s influence.

When Bruce woke up after a particularly hard hit by Scarecrow’s new brand, he was ready for anything. Being tied up to the medical cot, his children scattered everywhere on the Manor or in Gotham, Alfred being a silent vigil by his bed, or maybe even Leslie - he was even ready to see one of his children lying beside him, hit as well and resting from it.

Somehow, his oldest son sitting on a chair near his bed was far from his first thought.

Dick looked - exhausted. He had traded his Nightwing costume for a pair of sweatpants and a huge, large t-shirt swinging around his frame, making him look way younger than he was. He had bags under his eyes, and looked like he hadn’t slept in two days at least, his face pale and a far cry from his usual tan skin. A plate of fruits and sandwiches accompanied by a mug of coffee was on a table beside him, untouched.

“Dick?” Bruce’s voice was rasped. His throat was hurting - he must have yelled under the panic.

Dick blinked, like he was coming back to himself, before grabbing a glass of water and giving it to Bruce. A straw was poking out of the glass and Bruce sipped at it gratefully. His throat was already feeling a little better.

“Thanks,” he let out, and Dick addressed the shadow of a smile at him. “You don’t look well,” he added, because now Bruce felt worry pooling into his stomach and running through his blood, thrumming on the rhythm of his heart.

Dick hummed without answering. He seemed to be considering something.

Then, he looked right at Bruce, his gaze clear despite the exhaustion on his face.

“You regret taking me in.”

It wasn’t a question.

Bruce felt a knot in his throat.

Because - it was the truth. Something he probably said while on the fear toxin’s influence. Something - something it truly thought, but definitely not in the way Dick probably understood it-

“Dick- I can explain-”

“I suppose you could, yes.” And, in Dick’s tone - interlaced with annoyance was a bit of fear, a lot of hurt, and Bruce wanted to cry.

He stood up, reaching his hand out toward his son, trying to - he wasn’t sure what. Maybe take his hand, catch him, make sure he wouldn’t run away. Dick didn’t flinch back, but he nearly did, Bruce could see it.

“I swear it’s not what you think.”

“So _what_ is it, then? It can’t mean a lot of things.”

“It’s-” Bruce did his best to push through the lump in his throat, to get the words out and talk before Dick decided he had enough and went away- “You deserve better,” he finally managed to say.

Dick stopped - fidgeting, moving, _breathing_. “What?”

Bruce tried to gather his thoughts, to express his feelings the best he could. “You deserve a better life that the one I gave you.”

Dick raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

Bruce opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

“A billionaire saying he couldn’t offer enough. _Wow_.” Sarcasm flooded his son’s words, and Bruce couldn’t resent him for that.

“It’s not- Not like that, Dick. I mean-” He took a breath - and then started over again. “Look at why I did to you, Dick. You spent your childhood fighting, getting hurt, under pressure, and- You _died_. I gave you even more trauma than what you had in the first place, and just added on the pile again and again. You deserve better than that - you all deserve better than that.”

Dick leaned back on his seat, his gaze not quitting him. “I chose it, you know.” His voice was so quiet.

“You were eight, Dick. You weren’t old enough to consent to - to any of this.”

“I know. But you protected me. You made sure I had a lot of training. You didn’t let me face big opponents until I was a teenager. You made sure I had a life outside of crime-fighting. You did your best, and I wasn’t an easy kid about all of that.”

Bruce sighed. “I suppose we will never agree on that,” he said.

“You didn’t destroy my life, Dad. Neither you destroyed the others’. You shouldn’t feel guilty about giving us a family and a home.”

“It’s more about everything around it.”

Dick rolled his eyes. “You’re stubborn.”

Bruce smiled only a little at that. This time, when he reached out to take his son’s hand into his, Dick didn’t flinch away, meeting him halfway instead.

Dick squeezed his hand, and Bruce raised his gaze to look at him. “Dad. You’re the best thing that happened to me, you know? I couldn’t have better.” Bruce grimaced, torn between the need to cry and protect - and Dick squeezed his hand again. “I’m serious. I always lived in danger. I needed it - I wouldn’t have been happy in a normal family. I can’t speak for the others, but it’s at least true for me. I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Bruce took a step forward, and soon his son was in his arms, against him, and Bruce was fighting the tears at his eyes. Because - he could try to believe it with everything he had, but it was _hard_. He felt like a failure of a father so many times - he had thrown his children right at danger and watched them get hurt no matter how he tried to protect them. He was the one responsible for - for all of it.

Bruce couldn’t help but believe they all would be better if they had never met him. If he had restrained himself from adopting them. Even if it had been with the best intentions - even if he had never wanted them to join the vigilante life - in the end, he still failed, and they still wouldn’t have suffered half as much if he hadn’t crossed path with them.

He couldn’t but felt like he had destroyed his children’s life. And he wanted to believe so hard that Dick was right; that maybe he hadn’t, that maybe he was something good in their life.

Maybe he would believe it, one day.

“You are too good,” he said in his son’s hair. He could feel Dick’s laugh against him, and Bruce smiled.

“Thanks to you,” Dick insisted.

Bruce said nothing. He was pretty sure that he had nothing to do with how wonderful Dick was - he would probably have turned the same without him. Definitely, even.

Instead, he stayed here, keeping his son safe against him, and pushed away the doubt and fear still plaguing his mind.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it!!
> 
> I like the idea of Bruce being a very angsty dad who think he somehow destroyed his children's lives. Idk, the idea is just ery appealing to me. 
> 
> If everything goes okay, we should see each other tomorrow :fingerguns:
> 
> Take care of you, a lot of love!! :heart:


End file.
